I Am The Mini-Doctor!
by Blue Mistfall
Summary: The assistants of a future-time science lab complex captured a certain amount of very special human-alien hybrids (and not only them). One of them claims to be "the Doctor". But who is this child... or more like - who are those children? And where is the real Doctor?
1. Four Beats

**A/N: This story is going to be "Doctor-lite", but nevertheless I tried to make it interesting for you. And besides, the characters of different people are going to be used... Please Read and Review! It's really precious for me.**

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This time the new incomer was a true temptation for the Devors, who were the guards of this place. This creature was very young, as well as the rest, and it pulsed with life. The guards who held him hardly tamed their wish to take their gloves off and absorb all the juices of youth out of this kid. But if they didn't want trouble, they were to show the creature to their bosses.

Though this one was a boy, and boys were not as tender and soft as girls, he would've definitely become a fine meal. Skinny, without any extra fat (Devors hated it when there was too much), and unconditionally warm to the core.

"Already mouthfuls of saliva?" the boss asked. "You will have the remains. I have to check this one first".

"Remains?" one of the guards groaned.

"Remember who the main is". The boss stepped towards the boy, observing him. "So, do you know why you are here?"

"Guess I do. But do you know who I am?" The kid smirked. This expression fitted him well - such a scruffy-top, dark-hair, dark-eyes and all cheekiness would've seem incomplete with any other one.

"A human-alien hybrid bred with the target of invading Earth and infecting the human race with alien genes", the boss replied indifferently.

"This is called evolution! And I was not 'bred'!" the boy snarled. "If I tell you the truth, you'll regret about your words!"

"What are you going to tell me?"

"I - am - the Doctor!"

"Doctor Who?"

"The Doctor!" the child replied, smirking even wider. "What? Never expected that, brainpudding? Count my pulse! TWO hearts!"

Finally something similar to an emotion showed itself for a moment on the boss's face. Worry, suspicion and a teeny weeny bit of fear. But the kid didn't stop at this.

"That's the trouble with regeneration. You never quite know what you're going to get. Two heads, or none at all. But this time I managed to switch back in some sense. That body was young and agile and strong... well, okay, perhaps I got too young, and some habits remained, but I'm not going to complain much... Ack! Are you going to choke me?"

The boss's fingers circled the kid's neck, feeling the arteries (some of the Devors recalled the taste of still living blood and twitched, having got a small electric shock for that). If that was the Doctor, though it definitely was nonsense... Wait. The kid's pulse differed from normal. Not lub-dub, lub-dub, but tu-tu-tu-tump, tu-tu-tu-tump - two times faster than normal. One more difference - or approval? - followed: the boy's dark brown eyes had weird golden sparkles in them, which for some moments turned into two vortexes.

"I'll deal with you later. Get him to the rest!"


	2. Twelve Kids

The prisoner chambers were arranged like a clock - twelve trapeze-shaped rooms in a circle with one round in a middle. In the very center there was a small console, a younger relative of the one from the TARDIS. But its functions were completely opposite: if no weapons could work in the Time and Relative Dimensions in Space, then here it was a fine kind of weapon. The main task of this item was punishing - all together or one, no matter. The settings were easy, as everything damaging.

Rhodie Smith was waiting, nervously biting her nails. She was in one of those rooms, leaning on the bars which replaced the fourth wall - the one facing the center. Stonehenge, blast it. Right now all cages but one, the one on her left, were occupied. In the one on her right there was her sort-of sister Alice Tyler, who was punching the bars, muttering curses to herself, and in the rest... Rhodie knew most of them. The room after Alice's was "taken" by Langley Troughton Bluegrass, aka Loner Trouty, who was sitting in the corner, therefore almost unseen. But why was he there? He wasn't a regular time traveller. Peacefully living on Earth like any other kid... Then there was the youngest of all - little Five, gazing out. These rooms should be deadlocked if the sonic screwdriver didn't affect them, Rhodie decided (Five had his own small version of the "science tool", but with all the functions of a normal one, so he must've tried it on the hatch above). The next two were unfamiliar to Rhodie. A boy and a girl of the same age with her (if there was difference, it would be a year or two, no more), very similar in appearance (must've been siblings): dark unruly hair (the boy had a long fringe getting into his eyes all the time, so he was shaking his head without stopping, and the girl had it tied on the top of her head, which didn't prevent it from flying around), sharp lines of faces and bodies and hidden power in every action, even right now when they didn't have much to do apart from waiting. Next... Rhodie recognized him despite the distance. The grass green prickles on the head of the one in the room opposite to her left no doubt that it was Skasis Fane, the young Time Detective with an awful lot of running to do. He must've been left without his tools, including his hand-made history-mystery timey-crimey detector... Then there was perhaps the oldest one here. It was a girl in her early twenties with a blond ponytail, dressed in some kind of a military uniform. After that there was... Rhodie didn't see his face because he was sitting, having hidden it into his knees, so only golden blond hair was visible. The next two rooms were occupied by a ginger-haired girl with two pigtails (like Alice's, but longer and curlier) and by a dark-topped boy three or four years younger than her, who was eyeing the "console" in the middle.

"You will regret, I will not forget! Let me go, you Hand-devourers!"

"Devors".

"No difference!"

Rhodie jumped up, as well as the rest of the prisoners - the guards (those very tough guys which smacking hands - it was better not to think what was under their gloves!) were carrying her sort-of brother Kaster Tyler in here, having walked out of the lift which landed onto the "roof" of the room ring. Next sounds were opening the ceiling hatch of the neighbour room and a yelp of pain after the sound of a small body landing onto the floor, followed by an electric crack.

"Kaster?" Rhodie whispered, having pressed her ear against the wall. "Are you okay?"

"Fine, if not to count that I'm deadly tired..." A loud yawn. "Why don't you speak normally?"

"If I speak too loud, I'll get an electric shock", Rhodie replied. "Automatic motion, I think... What did they do to you, Kaster?"

"You'd better ask what I did to myself", Kaster mumbled - his voice sounded as if he was struggling with a desperate wish to fall asleep. "Care for a prank?"

"Suppose that I said yes".

"I told the head scientist that I was the Doctor. And, perhaps, convinced him".

Rhodie gasped.

"How?!"

"Made my heart beat twice faster. And you know it well that it's really tire-aaaaaaaah-some", Kaster answered, having not coped with another monstrous yawn. "Sorry..."

Rhodie didn't reply. She was able to make her heart beat faster as well. This was a useful ability when she needed to warm yourself up, but it demanded so much life force that immediate falling asleep was the only option afterwards. As an approval, gentle snoring followed, and only after that Rhodie heard that Alice was knocking on the opposite wall. One-two-three-four, one-two-three-four. No good rhythm.

"What's there, Rhodes?" Alice asked.

"They got Kaster in here. He's sleeping".

"Sleeping?! How can he sleep right... AH!"

Rhodie bit her upper lip - Alice forgot about the sound limit.

"He was convincing the boss that he was the Doctor by making his heart beat faster".

"Dammit..." It was unclear if this referred to Kaster's behaviour or to recent electric shock. "And did he manage?"

"Unclear".

"I've spoken to Troutfeet", Alice hissed - judging by the sound, she was rubbing her knees (her favourite puffy skirt was rustling). "He said that he cannot make his regeneration energy appear, as if something's blocking it, though he managed to heal two or three scratches. Maybe cuz they were fresh".

"You mean, it was unseen?"

"He said he couldn't make it stronger or something, though it couldn't have got anywhere. Otherwise he could've used it to shoot at that control panel".

"Is he able to do it? Using too much of it can harm him, and you know it".

"Think logically, Rhodie. If full regeneration can destroy the TARDIS - okay, not all of her - then some streams of its energy could set some of our own options in there", Alice explained. "Either these cages are energy-proof or... Don't know".

About twenty minutes passed when a clank and rustle brought Rhodie back to reality from her thoughts - she was wondering what was going to take place next. Muffled whispering was heard from her right - now Alice was talking to Trouty again, which finished with four more knocks:

"Are you there, Moriarty?"

"I am, Holmes", Rhodie replied.

"Hold it". Alice's hand showed itself from behind the wall through the bars, holding a tangled rope with metal boxes tied to it. Or no, it wasn't a rope, it was a wire, quite thick and empty on the inside, and each box had a hole on it. "Careful, it shouldn't touch the floor. Pass it on".

Rhodie realized that this wire began at Skasis's chamber right next to her, and half of the chambers' bar walls already had an "addition". She carefully moved the wire across the bars, fixing in on them, until her patch was over, and then called out:

"Kaster! Wake up!"

"Huh... whaa?.. whassup?.." Kaster rolled over and sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Rhodes, is that you?"

"Yes. Here, pass it on". Rhodie gave the wire to him. "Don't touch the floor with it".

"No wonder. Electric shock to everybody!" Kaster replied, alert as always - either he learned how to get "recharged" quicker or already got used to making his heartbeat faster. "Primitive technologies rule!"

After all the boxes were fixed, Skasis's voice sounded from Rhodie's one:

"Testing, testing! One, two, three!"

It wasn't too loud - like it's heard through a cell phone, but more clearly.

"Skasis Fane online". He raised his hand, identifying himself, and spoke on into the box. "As far as some of us don't know each other, let's tell our names to the rest. Clockwise. Once again - Skasis Fane!"

"Erfin Temple", the girl with a dark ponytail said. Her voice was heard from the box as clearly as Skasis's.

"Lionel Temple", her neighbour added. Yes, Rhodie had been right about their being siblings.

"Five Kitekid", Five caught up.

"Trouty Bluegrass". Trouty seemed a little reluctant. As he usually was, and now there was one more reason.

"Alice Tyler". There was an obvious grin in Alice's voice.

"Rhodie Smith".

"Kaster Tyler".

"Jamie Storm".

"River Storm". The ginger girl slightly pouted at the sight of (at least) half of her neighbours staring at her. No wonder! "River" wasn't a very common name, and for somebody it was associated with a certain hybrid archaeologist.

"Hamish Turner".

Rhodie started. Hamish Turner?! What, for Rassilon's sake, was he doing here? It was just... impossible! But Rhodie quickly recalled the name of their gang - The Impossible Kids - and calmed down, though she was still anxious. Something was going to take place, apart from Kaster's imitation of the Doctor.

"Jenny. Just Jenny", the oldest girl finished.

"Fine. Now put your hands at the sides of your box. It can be folded flatly. I've set a perception filter there, so if all of our boxes are flattened, it will be activated. Next... Why did they put us all here?"

"Maybe it's some kind of a ritual. Ultra sci-fi ceremony", Erfin supposed.

"Or they don't want to lose any of us", Jamie put in.

"Or we have something in common", Alice interfered. "Look. Skasis is a pure Timelord. I am one quarter Timelord. So is Rhodie. So is Kaster".

"So am I", Hamish added, hardly hiding trembling in his voice.

"So am I", River nodded, toying with her pigtails - that meant either concentration or anxiousness.

"So am I", Jamie repeated not without sense.

"Listen, are we the only ones who have no idea about what you're talking?" Lionel wondered. "Erf and I had never heard about any Timelords. Who are they?"

"Listen, do you believe in aliens?" Kaster asked.

"Yes. Great-grampa told us stories about a man from the stars when we were little", Erfin replied. "A man from the blue box".

"The Doctor?" Jenny put in. "My dad?"

"Ye-es..." Lionel murmured, not knowing how to react to the multitude of knowledge flowing over him and his sister. "He told me he had an artificially made-up daughter, who died soon after her 'birth'..."

"But I'm here, alive and well!" Jenny grinned.

"Great-grampa..." Kaster nibbled on the tip of his thumb. "Great-grampa! Wilf? Wilfred Mott? Is that his name?"

"Mm-hmm", Erfin approved.

"Temple! So your mother is Donna Noble? And you are hybrids too?" Alice exclaimed, but got silent as soon as she recalled about the possible punishment.

"We're not geeks!" Erfin shot out.

"I didn't say that you were geeks". Alice's voice, though calm, sounded with tension. "Human-Timelord hybrids are not geeks. They have additional perks. Like Troutfish... Wait. Troutfish! You're part Timelord as well! And Fivey too!"

"Ten percent", Five reminded.

"This is it!" Kaster exclaimed. "All of us are partly Timelords! Well, most of us, sorry... River, Jamie, what are the names of your parents?"

"Rose and Adam", River confessed.

"YES!" Kaster jumped just in time not to get his by another strike of electricity. "Rose Tyler, Adam... Storm! Or Handy Smith - better than 'Poppy Fields', eh? - or John Turner, or John Tyler? Whateverrrrrr!"

"Kas, let me check", Rhodie interfered. "I know the best way to do it".

"How?"

"Trust me". Rhodie cleared her throat and began:

"I cross the Void beyond the Mind,  
The empty space that circles Time".

"I see where others stumble blind  
To seek the truth they never find,  
Eternal wisdom is my kind..." Jamie caught up.

"Through cosmic waste the TARDIS flies  
To taste the secret source of life". This was whispered by River.

"Prison and science can't deny  
Of Him outside and behind,  
The latitude of human mind..." Kaster caught up, speaking as if he was hypnotized.

"My voyage dissects the course of Time,  
Who knows? You say that... Are you right?" This was Alice.

"Who searches deep to find the light  
And glows so darkly in the night?  
Towards that point I guard my fleet". Hamish didn't delay the continuation.

"A Sangrias move to end Mankind,  
Metallic teeth begin to grind", Rhodie continued.

"With sword of truth I turn to fight  
The Satanic Powers of the Night,  
Is your faith before your mind?" This was caught up by Skasis. Logical - due to his being made of four parts, three of which belonged to Alice, Rhodie and Kaster (and the fourth being the particle of the Master), he had the shadows of their memories, and this was a powerful one. All the kids of Rose and Metacrisis Doctor knew this poem by heart, but none of them remembered where it came from, as well as none of them had ever finished it. The approval came in the final (unfinished again) line of it, whispered by seven voices:

"Know me. Am I..."

Silence.

"Approved", River nodded. "Now it's clear, though it's a bit of madness".

"Listen, I think those bars will surrender if I laser them up", Kaster offered. "Those scientists thought that this", he produced a thin metal cylinder all covered in buttons and switches, "is a sonic screwdriver. Tell ya more. It's a sonaser!"

"Kaster, I tried to open the hatches in the ceiling with my sonic, but they're not moving", Five informed.

"Look from a different angle, Fivelet", Kaster interfered. "I'll try to fry one of those bars up".

"Sure you will squeeze through the hole if you do it". This was Erfin, and she wasn't asking, as if she knew what was going to take place. "Even from here I see that you're skinny. Hug ya and get a scratch! But what about the rest?"

"Trust me, Erfin Noble", Kaster grinned, having recognized the intonation.

"Kaster, I don't want to be a grumpy-face, but are you sure that it'll work?" Trouty interfered. "I've tried to use my regeneration energy, but it wouldn't show _itself._ I made a couple of scratches disappear, but no more".

"There's always a way out", Kaster replied and set to work.

"I hear the lift approaching. Activate the filter", Skasis said and was the first to "fold" his box.

The activation wasn't extra, because in about a minute or two a group of scientists walked over the roofs of the rooms and approached into the central room with the help of two narrow see-through platforms that functioned like stairs, changing each other. Immediately, the prisoners pretended to be either bored or sad or sleepy, though inside most of them were burning - some with impatience, some with frustration.

"Erfin Wilma Temple! Stand up!" the leader scientist ordered. The girl obeyed. "Let's see who you really are".

"I am who you said, and nothing more", Erfin sniffed. "Perhaps you have eyes and ears everywhere, but when I get ya, they'll be on the back of your head. And on your butt. Legs beginning at ears! Whatever".

"Aliens are fine blabbers, I see", one of the men commented, and the rest two pulled Erfin with themselves by her wrists, not caring to shut her mouth. And that was just what the girl needed.

"Freaks no geeks! Freaks no geeks! FREAKS NO GEEKS!"

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**A/N: Time for explanations. Most of the mentioned kids are children of Rose and Metacrisis Doctor from different versions of Universe, this is why they carry a nickname The Impossible Kids:  
\- Rhodie Smith and Hamish Turner belong to me;  
\- Alice Tyler belongs to deviantART user _Miss-Alex-Aphey_ (just check her out!);  
\- Kasterborous "Kaster" Tyler belongs to _Person-without-a-FF.N-account_ (as well as Skasis Fane);  
\- River and Jamie Storm belong to_ ninewood_ (I simply loved those two!).  
**

**Erfin and Lionel Temple are the kids of Donna, and quarter Timelords as well.  
Five is the child from dystopian future where emotions are forbidden, this is why he is so shy, but there's something special about him as well.  
And "Loner Trouty" is the artificial mix of human, Twobody (mutation) and Timelord, who's able to use energy to heal others (and not only that). **

**Note: the poem which the kids read is a real-existent one. Search for it on youtube, and you'll make sure.**

**So, what would you say? Please tell me!  
**


	3. One Escapee

She was repeating it louder and louder before droning of the lift covered it. But when she was tossed into her chamber in about half an hour (the hissing and clanking of sonaser wasn't going to end all this time), she didn't seem to be able to prove her point of view anymore, though she would've been happy to do it. Her ponytail was half-loose, and her pinkish lilac coat held obvious tracks of fight: a fresh hole here, a burn there.

"Freaking losers!" Erfin shouted and shook her fist at the ceiling hatch which slammed shut. "Freaking spoonheads!"

Skasis hurried to open his box, and the rest did the same, except for Kaster, who was a bit late, involved in his task.

"What did they do to you, Erf?" Lionel was the first to ask.

"Nothing harmful", Erfin replied sarcastically. "Weighing, measuring every inch of me, analysing my inside and outside... Blood, skin, sweat, tears and all. Reflexes and everything. But they treated me like a lab animal and called me 'alien' or 'hybrid' all the time. I asked politely once and twice, but no. Then I tried to convince them. And those slobbery guards... I guess they would've done the same if they made chops out of me".

"But you held to the end", Alice stated.

"Yeah, just as my name requires".

"I didn't mean that. Noble to the end".

"Ah..." Erfin blushed. "If you're interested, it's almost the same. 'Ere' means 'until', 'fin' means 'end'. To the end".

"Lemme guess, Wilf gave you such a meaningful name?" Alice asked.

"Hmph". Erfin shrugged.

"How's it going, Kaster?" Jamie entered the talk, having paid attention that Kaster was working at the same bar as before, but this time closer to the floor.

"You can congratulate me, I've cut it in two", Kaster replied, tip of his tongue sticking out with tension. "Now I need to cut it in three..."

"So this kind of energy is not affected?" Trouty asked, slightly offended. "Unfair".

"I think it's because you're touching the floor all the time, and the sensors here are set to give you a punishment or else", Rhodie mused. "Sonaser is like a battery. Works in right hands only and with those who know how to use it..."

"Wish I could try and seduce those scientists once again", Jenny sighed. "Kidding. War-heads, then science-heads".

"Wonder where our Doctor is", Five muttered. "And Johnny-Jimmy, and Paul. They're not hybrids".

Another sound of lift approaching made them finish talking and close the boxes again. This time River was to play the role of 'lab animal'. Unlike Erfin, she preferred to keep her thoughts to herself (which was surprising - her full name appeared to be River Donna Storm, and all the Impossible Kids sometimes tended to behave in sharp and rude way, thanks to their father's origin!). But then Kaster compensated this by letting out a long roar of anger:

"DAAAAAAAAHHH! Right on time!"

"Never mind him, the sonaser batteries are dead", Alice explained, having opened her box. "Told you to replace them with never-ending energy sources for the normal sonic. Bah! You're able to wear out even those things which work forever without being recharged".

"Don't be a bossy-boots, Alice", Trouty asked. "Kaster, can you pass the sonaser to me? Let's try an alternative. After all, energy can be used not only for healing".

"How do you know?" Hamish asked.

"Something's telling me that during regeneration there's enough energy to charge batteries for a couple of years, and we don't need too much here, unless you added an upgrade again", Trouty replied, waiting until the sonaser was passed to him. "A wee little copy".

"Fine, but you'll be the guilty one if it's broken", Kaster murmured. He trusted his best invention (best apart from mechanical cat Charity, hand-made bouncy copy of Thing from The Addams Family and some more especially lucky trials), though reluctantly, only to the Doctor and Kyon Turlough, whose manners were quite similar to his own. Lots of energy and nowhere else to spend it (Kaster spent it, inventing things, and Kyon preferred sports, like skateboarding and rollerblading). Wish he was here... But now there was no other choice. Perhaps for a while.

"What's he doing?" Jamie asked when Trouty got what he wanted and concentrated, brushing the device with his fingertips.

"Attempting to find a new use for his energy", Rhodie explained. "Trouty's able to heal damages, but here it's not visible... and not too effective, I'm afraid".

"Incoming", Skasis informed, and they closed the boxes once more (Trouty hardly managed to do this on time and hide the sonaser because he was close to success and overfilled with tension). River was returned to her cell, and this time the scientists did not take anybody with them. Perhaps they already had a plan... or worse. This time the "white men" simply walked past their cells, watching them as if they were zoo animals or lab rats. And with a bit of disgust. Most of the kids preferred not to respond to this attitude, and only Alice, Erfin and Kaster became exclusions: Alice and Erfin blew raspberries at the observers, and Kaster showed them a very obscene gesture. Thank goodness the perception filter for the communication boxes and the wire putting them together worked perfectly well: the eyes behind goggles were skipping it, as if they were just air.

After the scientists left, nobody wanted to begin the talk - the mood was gone. But in some minutes a loud gasp broke the silence, followed by heavy breathing and whisper:

"Alice? I think it worked. Here".

Now it was Trouty's turn to take a nap (he fell asleep as soon as he climbed onto the slab of metal replacing a bed here), but Kaster, on the contrary, set to work with doubled power, having seen that his sonaser was recharged now. No one knew how much time passed before there was another clank, and Kaster's head poked from behind the bars, followed by his hand clutching a meter-long metal stick - a fragment of bar he managed to break.

"Heeh, thank you, Green Lantern Trouty!" Kaster, slightly disappointed that the addressed one was exhausted and didn't hear him, squeezed through the gap between the bars that stayed solid and put the fragment back on its place, so it was hardly seen there had been a disturbance. A classic detective plot: someone vanished from the locked room... Kaster walked to the console in the middle and began studying it. "Hmm... Hey everyone! Climb onto your beds, I'm going to try these out!"

"What - these?" Erfin didn't have to wait till the proof: as soon as Kaster flickered with something on the control panel, wave impact of energy affected all the rooms, but didn't hurt anybody. "Careful there, Skinny!"

Kaster went on toying with the switches and buttons until he seized himself by his hair and groaned.

"Marvellous! It seems like none of these is for opening doors. Only for punishing! Right, let's try handicraft methods..." He measured the room with steps, rubbing his chin. "Fivey! You said you've tried to open the hatch with your sonic, but it didn't move, eh?"

Five shook his head:

"No, it didn't. Maybe I'm too short".

"It's no matter for sonic waves if you're short or not. They reach their target", Kaster mused. "And what if I try to open them from the outside?"

"It can work, I think", Rhodie pointed out and opened her box. "Erfin, River, did you pay attention how the hatches were opened when you were brought back?"

"Suppose it'll be no trouble. They opened mine in a mere moment, but I didn't see in which way", Erfin replied, and two crimson spots appeared on her cheekbones - she felt uneasy for her "performance" and not paying attention.

"They used some remote control, I saw it", River added.

"Great! But how am I going to get up there?.." Kaster raised his head and put his hands on his hips, thinking how he was going to climb onto three-meter-high (at least) roof of the cell ring. But then Hamish decided to give his idea:

"We cannot squeeze through the holes, but our hands can. Suppose some of us could raise you up, like cheerleaders do".

"Great idea, Hamish!" Skasis caught up. "Jenny, will you be able to hold half of Kaster's weight if I hold the other?"

"You doubt me?" Jenny grinned. "Watch and learn, grass-head".

She stuck her hands out of her cell close to the wall it shared with Skasis's cell, laced her fingers, and Kaster, panting, began climbing up, having put one foot on them and holding on the bars. Skasis joined Jenny, and Kaster put the other foot on his laced fingers, having finally grabbed onto the roof and attempting to get upwards (this took quite a time, and despite all their patience and wish not to show their discomfort, Jenny and Skasis couldn't cope with it. Laws of physics took over them - soon enough their hands began trembling, while Kaster was fulfilling another law of physics, the one about center of gravity (his upper half was almost on the roof, while the bottom one needed to be supported).

But finally Kaster was there. For half a minute he was sitting, catching his breath, then jumped up and examined the hatch right in front of him - the one over Jenny's cell. Thank goodness much force wasn't needed to open it - just a bit of sonic impact.

"Guess it's like Pandorica", Kaster assumed, pulling the hatch open - it appeared to be quite heavy. "Easy from the outside, difficult from the inside. Would've been worse if they took up the principle of Timelord mail..."

"Ahem-ahem!" That was Erfin. Like her mother, she didn't want to stay without attention for a long time, while her brother was more of quiet kind. Like little Wilf. "And how are you going to get us out?"

"He could require my wire", Skasis put in cheerfully. That was a good sign - if he began putting rhyming words together, that meant he was enthusiastic. "I invented it. It's tough stuff. The boxes will be our masking made during multitasking".

He untied the knot on the wire, Jenny clewed it up, having taken the boxes off it, and tossed it to Kaster through the hatch. Now it was for the most difficult part: there were no objects to which the wire could be tied, so Kaster decided to wait until there was a possibility to get Jenny out. After all, she was the heaviest here, and he wasn't as strong as a full-blood Timelord of his type, like Skasis.

First of all Kaster walked to the hatch of Five's cell. The smallest, so should be the lightest... but it appeared to be not so easy, mainly because Five couldn't climb the rope and wasn't too physically developed. Kaster had to take his favourite red Converses and crazy stripy socks off just not to slide into the cell: the soles slid against metal, and bare feet could stick to it better, though not too much. He had to pull Five upwards, like a bucket of water from a well, but eventually he coped with it.

Beginning with this, the task of getting everybody out became much easier each time, if not to count that Kaster was hardly standing straight by the time they got Alice out. Now the only prisoner in cell was Jenny.

"Eleven kids, one adult. Hold on", River commented.


	4. A Thousand Aliens

None of the kids would confess that he or she was scared. Yes, their hearts shrunk when a scientist or an elephant-like guard walked past them (now the boxes were hanging on their necks, fixed on laces), but his or her look pierced them through, as if they weren't there. Besides, not many of the gang trusted steel skies and everything kept under them.

Right now they were searching for the shortest way to the Doctor, and their main compass was the signal caught by Five's sonic screwdriver. Kaster would've been happy to go on being the main mischief maker, but all that "mountain climbing" and "bucket pulling" made him exhausted once more. And the tracks of quickening his heart remained, so now Jenny was carrying his sleeping form on her back. It was not a peaceful sleep - it was the reluctant kind of it. Luckily enough, Trouty was alert.

"It's like a cheesy horror movie", Lionel whispered when they entered a corridor, the walls of which consisted of blocks filled with unknown liquid, in which various organs were kept.

"It's odd", Five pointed out. "I don't think it's all fine now, even if we find the Doctor, JJ and Paul".

"What makes you think so?" Jamie asked.

"The signal". Five tapped on his sonic to specify which one. "Its source is not moving. It doesn't get farther or closer by itself".

"Valid point", Rhodie nodded. "Bet the Doctor would've turned it all upside down..."

"...if he was safe and sound", Jenny finished.

Having decided not to talk about it before seeing the actual settings of things, the gang resumed its way. Finally they reached a door huger than any of those they had already walked past, which led into a hall full of artificial light. It was very similar to sunlight, but still there was something wrong about it - that kind of wrong which never lets you go while you're there. The kids didn't realize how spacious this place was at first, because it was divided into sections by huge glass containers with liquid, this time horizontal and holding solid organisms instead of their parts. Attempting not to look at them (Erfin expressed the mood of all group about it without any words, having turned green), the intruders followed the sonic's signal again, which was getting more and more tense.

"Holy Fahrenheit", Rhodie only managed to say when the sight of their "destination point" opened to them. Most of the present had seen the Doctor in different situations, but this was a completely new sight. The Doctor was floating inside one of those containers, as if he was a grown-up version of a human (okay, Timelord) embryo, but not curled up - on the contrary, his limbs were relaxed, eyes closed, and there was even a hint of smile on his face. But this was not the most striking thing - the main was the umbilical cord. Yes, it was there, starting at the required place and ending at the inside of the control block attached to the container.

"Just like a birthing ball", River suddenly said, hardly blinking.

"What?" Kaster appeared to be awake, though still tired - he shivered upon this sight.

"Birthing ball", River repeated. "Daddy used it with me and Jamie. I saw it and I remember, though I was three then... Daddy told me that we both couldn't develop finely because Mummy's organism rejected Gallifreyan genes, so... well... he had to put me, and then Jamie into birthing balls not to lose us".

"That's something new, but what does it have to do with... Trouty? What are you doing?" Alice's attention switched to Trouty, who was listening to the electric hum of control block.

"Don't you hear that?" Trouty's expression was that of genuine wonder. "Am I the only one who... Yeah, just like at good old times".

"What's he on about?" Lionel asked.

"Sometimes Trouty becomes like a walking antenna - he's able to catch info from the air, rudely saying", Five explained. "Guess it worked here. What's there?"

"Voices", Trouty replied. "One day, I shall come back... They must be fought... Gosh, so many of them".

"Are you sure this is our Doctor?" Hamish asked. "It could be a clone. Like in Avatar movie. And how's he breathing there anyway?"

"And how do babies breathe before being born?" Kaster snapped. "Through that navel string, there's no other way".

"Let me check". River stepped forward and pressed her hand to the container. "Maybe he'll hear me".

"What's she doing?" Erfin made a grimace, as if expecting to see something disgusting.

"I'll try to put a telepathical link through. It worked with my dad before, so..." River closed her eyes.

"Don't tell me she read my mind".

"Trust me, Erfin, my sis is not able to do it. It is to be directed", Jamie explained, but this did not make Erfin satisfied.

_Doctor, it's River. Can you hear me?  
_**River?.. Your voice is so young. No. River Song has a mature voice.  
**_ I'm not River Song, I'm River Storm.  
_**River Storm?  
**_Rose Tyler, Adam Storm, River Storm. What was the name of the Pompeii man whose family you saved?  
_**Emmm... Caecilius. That was it.**  
**  
**River exhaled and massaged her temples - her brain was boiling.

"It's him", she said. "I asked him a thing that only he knew... Who's River Song?"

"Tell ya later", Skasis interfered. "Now we gotta get him out of here".

"If you made those perception filters out of garbage you found in your pockets, that should be no trouble for you, Skasis Main", Kaster stated.

"It could be... if it wasn't about noise. We should be very very quiet", Skasis sighed. "It's a weak point".

"Anyway, we should try". Rhodie hit her palm with her fist. "Instructions, Skasis".

* * *

**A/N: The "birthing ball" wasn't my idea - it was borrowed from _ninewood_ fics (as well as telepathy). So, what would you say now?  
**


	5. Two Humans

"I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you..."

Paul Steamer was crawling on all fours, stopping and clutching her right side from time to time - her pale violet shirt was ripped and soaked in blood right there. She had managed to escape into the TARDIS, but that was when her plans had failed. One of the guards (overgrown meatballs!) had wounded her. Or rather had almost "suckered her to death": Paul had seen that there had been some kind of toothed holes on his three-fingered, like Sontaran, hands, and one of them had clung to her side, this is why it was pulsing with pain now.

Finally Paul reached the console and stood up, leaning on it to get rid of dizziness. No life-important organs seemed to be hurt, but nevertheless... It is incredible that sometimes it all depends on one single string, Paul thought. Wobbling from side to side, as if drugged, she made her way to the huge box next to one of the ways to the depths of the time machine and began digging in it, fighting with darkness filling her mind.

"Hello, old friend", Paul weakly grinned, having found the thing she was searching for. It was a long smooth cane, black with green top - that very one with special functions, which the Doctor hadn't told her when it had been needed. A sonic cane. If sonic screwdrivers had a function of healing minor damages, then it was to have it as well, so Paul aimed it at her side and pressed the cunningly hidden button on the handle.

She didn't know how much time passed (there were two or three times when she was ready to slip into oblivion, but didn't give up) before the TARDIS doors creaked open.

"Paul! Wait, what are you doing?!"

"How the heck did you get here?" Paul hissed, raising the cane in what she thought was a threatening gesture. The world was still swimming in front of her eyes, but she realized that this was one of those lab assistants. The young one, without too much scientific scepticism, but nevertheless not better than any of those who had called her "possible hybrid" or "bred", despite her more than obvious being a pure-blood human with no mixtures.

"Look". The young man produced a TARDIS key hanging on a chain from under his shirt. "Paul, didn't you recognize me? I distracted the guards for you to get away".

"You didn't put too much effort, I see", Paul muttered through clenched teeth.

"That Devor could've drunk all of you!" the young man exclaimed. "I could ask the TARDIS, and she could tell what to do with you".

"Why would she?"

"They must've beaten the brains out of you". The young man sighed. "I've also seen what they did to Doctor-daddy. And the Impossible Kids escaped, they're working on it as well. I saw them".

"Hold it..." Paul dropped the cane. "Johnny-Jimmy? What the steampunk did they do to you?"

"Took up the ideas of Miss Trunchbull from Dahl's Matilda. Turning kids into adults". Maybe it was because of Paul's now-blurred perception of the world, but she only now began recognizing him, though he had been a child like any of the Impossible Kids less than a day ago, and now he looked at least twenty. "I guess I spoilt their settings", he showed his sonic screwdriver, which now could be hidden in his fist, and then rolled the sleeve of his white lab coat up, showing something like a chip inserted into his wrist. "They managed to turn me into an adult, but my minds stayed the same".

"And you tricked them", Paul mumbled, having slid onto the floor. Johnny-Jimmy shrugged and leaned onto the console, listening to beeping and chirping of the TARDIS. "W-wait..."

"First you wait", Johnny-Jimmy asked. "She's talking".

Having listened to the directions understandable only to him, he vanished in the farthest corridor and returned with a small can filled with greenish sticky ointment, which smelled more with nature than with science - this was the only thing that Paul could tell about this smell.

"What is it?" she asked, when Johnny-Jimmy began spreading it over the mess on her side. _A typical scene for reacting and beginning romantic theories, _the voice in her head said. Yeah. But Johnny-Jimmy was a child, and besides her friend.

"Doctor-daddy used it for mending things. Directing and all". After the procedure was done, Johnny-Jimmy produced his sonic again and aimed it at the green spot now covering Paul's bottom ribs (more exactly, at the place where chest and belly were joined) at the right. Immediately, fresh skin began growing on its place, while the ointment got dried and started falling off like fish scales. The pain reduced as well, and soon the only thing remained from injury was slight dizziness. "But the TARDIS told me we cannot use it on you anymore, at least today".

"Why?"

"This stuff is like nanobots, but advanced. It can be used for renewing many things, not only bodies. I've set the sonic to healing", Johnny-Jimmy explained. "But its side-effect is draining power - you cannot find such small batteries, eh?"

"Fine logic... Still, what did they do to the Doctor? And where are the Impossible Kids?"

"At first I need to come out. The scientists are suspicious about me..."

"I'm not going to leave you". Paul grabbed the sonic cane and hit her palm with it two or three times - this gesture usually means a wish to give someone a good beat. "And tell me nothing, JJ".

* * *

**A/N: Pauline "Paul" Steamer is "a regular thing in up-to-date world - a girl in unisex clothing and with a male name". She's a girl from Earth whose time-and-space adventures started all of a sudden, but this is a different story.  
Johnny-Jimmy is the Doctor's adopted child who lived in the TARDIS since he was one (this is why he's able to understand her). He's not as clever as his quarter-Timelord pals, but he's brave and witty.  
**

**The human quest is about to be added! So, tell me what you think - comments are awesome!**


	6. Three Years

"I don't get it. We are all children, so what are you doing here?" Erfin asked - she, Jenny and Lionel were watching the entrances for no one to come in or to notice them. "You're the only adult here".

"I guess it's about my age", Jenny replied, turning back to check the progress. Skasis had figured out that the container holding the Doctor was connected to the rest, so they had to be careful if they wanted to deactivate it without influencing other, and it required simultaneous work, so now the rest of the kids were grouped around the control block, attaching and removing wires and schemes in sequence.

"And how old are you?"

"Three".

"Three what?"

"Three years. I was born an adult. Artificially, with progenation machine. It's growing a full organism out of a single cell".

Erfin wrinkled her nose.

"Yuck".

"So it's logical", Jenny continued, paying no attention to Erfin's reaction. "Basically - in numeral terms - I'm nothing but a child. Guess they take only such terms to attention".

"Got it. Just like the silly superstition that gingerheads don't have souls... sorry River", Lionel caught up. "Mummy complained about it plenty of times".

Five, tugging on the collar of his jumper, walked over to them, hesitating before carrying the news out.

"We've found out what this is", he started. It was his usual manner to be shy around those who towered over him, so Jenny crouched to be on his level. "It's like a chameleon arch, but faulty".

"Chameleon arch? What is it?" Erfin asked.

"It's a device which Timelords use to change their biology", Five explained. "Very very rarely, and it's supposed to be truly painful".

"For what?" Lionel interfered.

"Be sensible, little brother. To hide!" Erfin appeared to be more quick-witted. "What do those Timelords look like? I didn't see any mutations in either of you... except for him". She pointed at Skasis, who was sitting on top of the control block, attempting to tear one more metal panel off it (the previous ones had been removed by Kaster).

"That's just it. Their differences from humans cannot be seen with bare eyes", Five explained. "And changing from one being to another has its side-effects. Losing memory, for instance. But that's not the main trick. Turning back is possible with the help of a certain item - usually it's a fob watch. When the changeling - it's just a word - opens it, he or she transforms back into its original self, which is kept there. This string", he waved back and pointed at his own stomach, meaning the umbilical cord, "slowly gets all of alien out of our Doctor. But here it's in biological sense, so if the process is finished, hardly anything will be left of him".

"So what prevents you from reversing the polarity of the neutron flow?" Judging by her bamboozled expression that followed, Erfin didn't understand what she said before it sounded.

"Wish it all was so easy, Erfin!" This was Alice - red-faced, hands moist with sweat, she finished fiddling with wires and walked up to them. "Alien habits showing themselves, eh? But never ever say it in front of your Mummy... You see, the process is going simultaneously in all of these tanks", she gestured at them. "And if we reverse the polarity in just one of them, there's a high chance of chain reaction. Do you imagine what can take place if all those beings get out? They will make mincemeat out of us".

"Danger!"

Lionel, who was watching the doors all this time, was the only one who didn't lose his sense of hearing in talks. Rhodie and Jamie just put the unattached metal panels on their places (without any support) when the doors opened, and a team of scientists entered, leading straightly to the row where they were (each Impossibler - temporal or usual, no matter - took place next to the separate container, so only Kaster stayed next to the Doctor's). But again the people in white coats didn't see them, or rather didn't notice - Skasis's perception filters worked on, though the hearts of the kids, especially those of Rhodie and River, were hammering like church bells. And for a brief moment one of the scientists - the young one with short blond hair, who was walking behind, taking notes - gazed directly at Kaster, and his eyelid flickered.

"Bet he saw us". Hamish ran a hand through his hair. "Bet he knows we're here".

"Bet he knows, L'il Ham", Trouty teased. "Then why didn't he tell the rest about us? They were talking about us. They're searching for us!"

The kids glanced at each other - almost all of them hadn't heard the talks of the scientists because heartbeat in their ears had blocked everything from the outer world. However, now it didn't block the sound of hurried steps, though everybody present was standing still.


	7. Seven Scientists

Paul was chewing on her bottom lip. She wished she could tell the kids that she was here, wearing the watch of invisibility found among the Doctor's belongings (okay, it was not invisibility, but reflection of light waves or else - the TARDIS had given them an instruction upon Johnny-Jimmy's request, but there was not too much to take from it), but that was not required right now. She was following the group of lab workers, or scientists, or whoever they were, and Johnny-Jimmy was already its member. Perhaps it consisted of brainwashed ones which the main bosses had hoped to make out of JJ?.. Stepping as lightly as she could - it was not easy, because she was used to walking quickly and abruptly, and didn't have very light step - Paul scampered after the group, but stopped as soon as Kaster turned his head, like a cat during a hunt. Skasis, who was "riding" the huge block attached to the Doctor's container, suddenly glanced up, and his boggled grey eyes fixed on her, corners of his mouth slowly turning up. Paul pressed her forefinger to her lips and then folded her hands together in a praying gesture (which didn't come out too successful because of sonic cane between them), silently begging him not to give her out - she had no doubt that he saw her. Skasis sneakily showed her a thumb-up and resumed his work, but soon decided to speak:

"I suppose there could be an outer influence. Outer block, perhaps".

"And I could search for it", Five offered. "I could track the signal again".

"Not 'I', but 'we'", Alice added. "I won't let you go alone".

"Are you sure you can handle that?" Jenny asked, but then her eyes narrowed - her attention was caught by a blurry figure behind them. It was not about vision now, it was more about warmth... Five and Alice nodded, and after the boy found the same signal which came out of the container (it took him a bit of time to catch the pure technical signal from "living"), they walked out of the hall, holding hands. Paul hurried after them - she understood that her own actions would be suspicious while being invisible. And besides, she had already realized a very unpleasant fact: only one technology could be used at a time - either the watch or the cane. _The same with Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone game - when you cast spells, you become visible, _Paul thought to herself. She didn't know why, but she saw all the kids directly, not with the corner of her eye - maybe because they acted in front of her? And Jenny. Perhaps she allowed Five and Alice to run their own investigation because she saw the "intruder"? Paul knew who she was, so this was a possible version.

This time the signal led them to the elevator which stopped on every floor (by the way, how many floors were here? It wasn't excluded that this could be an underground complex or a huge spaceship), letting the assistants and scientists in and out. A couple of times even the guards - Devors, was that the name of that race? - thumped in. And that was the creepiest part, because they sniffed and smelled the air without stopping, grumbling from time to time.

"It's about the smell", Alice whispered when the lift contained only her, Five and Paul again. "It's the most difficult part. They're carnivorous, and they must have natural instincts".

"Carnivorous?"

"This means they live on meat, it's their main food". Alice didn't speak in her normal voice even now, as if she felt the presence of someone extra here. No wonder if she did. Timelord nature was a riddle to solve, but hybrid nature was even more complicated, mainly because nobody ever knew what combinations those hybrids had (they even surprised themselves more often than normally). "Did you see how they looked at us when they brought us to their bosses? Impatiently, and one of them was drooling. As if we were beefsteaks freshly out of oven..."

"I don't wanna be a beefsteak", Five muttered, and they both turned to statues again - two or three scientists entered the elevator. Thank goodness the signal source was much closer now, and the sonic was responding to it with vibration instead of beeping. When the needed floor was reached, the kids waited until the scientists left and only then came out. They found themselves in front of a safe-type door, like those which can be found in banks. And the signal went weaker for some reason, but didn't vanish.

"Something priceless". Alice whispered this almost soundlessly, her lips in millimeters from Five's ear (Paul had to bow to hear her). At this moment two or three scientists walked to the door and stopped in front of three small screens which flashed white in a moment. "Checking the iris... and fingerprints. Yeah, a nice heist we've got to accomplish".

As soon as coast was clear, Five attempted to use his sonic as a key, but it appeared to be deadlocked again. After a few more trials the kids, disappointed, decided to return, but Paul didn't follow them this time. Obviously, Skasis had given them the idea of searching for an outer block so that she would follow them and deactivate it by herself. But how was she going to enter?.. There was only one possibility - sneaking behind backs of the next who were going to enter.

The feeling of unknown was overwhelming, though Paul had taken part in riskier business. To calm down, she put her free hand on her chest and closed her eyes, feeling the pulsation inside. The proof of natural power... She was alive and well, if not to count the recently cured injury on her right side, which was responding with faint pain after every step. And that meant she could do something. Anything. Whatever.

Paul didn't have to wait for a long time. The next group arrived shortly after Five and Alice left, and this time there were seven incomers. Having taken turn after the one who was the farthest from entrance, she watched them pass the checking and tip-toed after them just in time not to get squashed against the wall with this door (which was at least one and a half meters thick).

_So that's from where they control those capsules_, she thought - this room didn't hold machinery, it was machinery. The walls were all divided into small rectangular screens, those like tablets have - each held the image of a certain container and information about species representative held it it. The scientists tapped on some of them, having used lifting platforms to reach those which were over human height (and the ceiling was at least ten meters high here), and left. The door locked automatically.

"Trick or treat, smell my feet", Paul murmured and switched the watch of invisibility off, then began scanning the screens with the sonic cane, listening to its "voice". Aiming and thinking, that was it, eh? The signal source wasn't at the bottom, so Paul, despite her throat tightened, got onto one of the platforms, and it flew upwards at first - the "order" appeared to be too much. There it was! The screen showing the capsule with the Doctor wasn't seen with bare eyes. No wonder, at such background!

"Tell me more, old chap", Paul whispered and pressed the button on the cane's handle, forcing herself to think about returning the Doctor to his proper condition, but just one annoying thought invaded her mind: don't be noticed, don't be noticed, don't be noticed. Yes, Skasis had created fine perception filters - they worked even with that camera (the mechanical eyes were blind to the reasons of control block being slowly re-designed), but that didn't mean... or did it? Paul gnawed on her knuckles to get this thought out.

Finally the settings for the capsule showed themselves (that was the reason why Paul didn't like sensor screens much - they never gave out the needed result or hardly ever reacted to being touched - or overreacted). Okay, now it's about... and what now? Having looked through the list of options, Paul found only one sensible item. "Revert". Not a word about opening or closing. _They don't even suppose that the locked ones may wish to come out, _she thought angrily and pushed the found word.

Hold on. Revert. Reverse the polarity... For a brief moment Paul thought she could revert the communication and speak to the kids. She even aimed the cane at the screen once more, but then lowered it. If she did so, they would be caught and nobody knows what next, perhaps much worse. She was only left to hope that she did what she could.


	8. Five Sparklers

Skasis did his best to hide the triumphant grin when the process of extracting all alien all of a sudden - for those who didn't know - reversed its flow. He even felt it - the return of energy and characteristics to their proper places.

"Did you do it, Skasis?" Rhodie marvelled - she was the second one to get this.

"No". The green-head said the gospel truth. "But I think we've got another task to solve now".

"Skaaaaaasis?" Alice squinted at him, her hands on her hips. "Are you sure you're telling us everything?"

"Hush..."

"That means no, eh?"

But the possible almost-encounter was prevented by Jamie, who bounced with excitement and pointed at the container:

"Look, look!"

And there was a sight to see - the Doctor's eyes were wide open now, shooting from side to side at first in confusion, then in recognition. His "hint of smile" changed into a full one, but he didn't move much, only turned his head to see what was going on around.

"Guess there's not too much space to move. And draining nearly all energy always leaves tracks", Jenny noticed.

"Anybody knows what happens first and next when real babies are born?" Erfin asked.

"I think it's about getting rid of water first". Skasis scratched the back of his head, so his lime locks stuck to sides even more. "But I don't see any channel in there..."

"Don't see any channel in there!" Alice mimicked. "Don't tell me you have no bigger-on-the-inside stuff in your pockets!"

But at this moment all the liquid filling the container noisily flushed away, so that the kids froze at first - for someone's nerves it had been enough. Over than enough. Now the Doctor was supine on the bottom of the capsule.

"My turn! It's spoilt anyway!"

Before anybody could say a word, Kaster was already attempting to de-attach glass from metal with his sonaser. And quite successfully - soon the capsule cracked, and glass pieces began falling off one by one from the crack which appeared when Kaster pushed especially powerfully. Having half-ruined the container, he ripped the perception filter off his neck and hung it onto the Doctor's neck, having covered him with his camouflage coat as well.

"Silence everybody", Kaster ordered, having seen the half-bewildered, half-frightened eyes of the watchers - well, most of them. Alice was irritated, Jenny was bedazzled, and Rhodie was surprised. "Trust me. Time to prove".

"To prove WHAT, Spacekid?" Erfin demanded.

"You'll see. And now keep your big mouth to yourself... annnnnd..." Kaster listened to feet thumping against the floor coming closer and closer, then spoke quicker. "Trouty, how d'you feel? Can you give the process a little push?"

"Suppose I could. But it may be visible", Trouty warned.

"That's what we need! Jenny, can you... dunno... emit Timelord energy or something?"

"Sparkling mist?" It was Erfin, to everybody's astonishment. "Okay. It's not so all right with us. Lionel is able to emit it like insane. He even learned to make figures out of it".

"Erf!" Lionel almost shouted.

"What? It's true".

"So do it, Lionel!" Kaster ordered. "Skasis, you too. Everybody, attempt to emit it!"

"What is in your mind, Kaster?" Hamish's golden blond eyebrows joined into a single line. "Hope you don't want us all to grow two hearts... I don't mean those who already have them".

"As Skasis would say, it's insane Doctorishness", Kaster smirked.

"Doctorception", Skasis pointed out.


	9. Four and a Half Timelords

The boss was close to feeling what was called fury. No wonder! At first there had been one escapee - that weird androgynous person. Then there had been TWELVE of them! Twelve, who had been locked in a prison which was designed to extract energy from all sources! And now something was going on in the "alien warehouse", like those green younglings preferred to say!.. All right. The boss had a big point of view. The androgen had been wounded by one of the guards, so now it wouldn't get anywhere - they would smell its blood. The twelve escapees had already given themselves out. No doubt, they were in the alien warehouse, attempting to free their guardian. And the useless child had been grown into a proper sober adult.

However, the positive sides stepped back when the boss, accompanied by a group of Devors (at least two of them were greedily inhaling the air, which meant they sensed possible food - and that could also mean that the androgen was lurking around somewhere). One of the escapees - the boy who had been claiming that he had been some "Doctor" - was standing in front of the broken empty container, arms crossed and dark brown eyes glittering.

"Ya gotta drink me up?" he teased. "Indigestion guaranteed".

"Stop, you'll taste his bones later, when all of the alien nature is extracted", the boss warned before the guards could say anything.

"Saw this?" The boy's fingers now were laced over his chest, exposing the writing on his tee - MAUVE AND DANGEROUS. "I am the Doctor, and you won't extract anything out of me, because I'm clever... Actually you can get a bit". A fountain of golden sparkles mixed with emerald green ones darted over him. "I've got so much energy you won't get it even in a thousand years".

WHACK!

One of the Devors howled with pain - there was a clear sound of a hit over his hairless head covered in reptile-like scales.

"I smell her!" another guard roared. "She's here!"

The kid's mouth widened till his ears:

"Who's here? And where is your newest helper?"

"You should know if you're so clever, alien kid", the boss replied with stone face. "If you don't want to be eaten, you will tell us your strategy".

The guards rubbed their gloved knuckles, almost forbidden images swimming in their heads again.

"All right, I'll tell you", the boy said. "Four and a half Timelords and seven and a half humans! What makes them wander around?.." A stream of golden sparkles soared over his head and formed a shape - two 8-like figures crossed in the middle, one consisting of two spirals, the other out of two Yin-Yang-like symbols (it reminded of a four-leaf clover), and this all was in a circle. "Curiosity! Wish to learn something new! Articles are really boring. Isn't it better to see it all with your own eyes?"

The boss blinked at him.

"Evil, isn't it?" the kid sneered. "Not eviler and insanerer than things you do to them. Waste!" He gestured at the capsules that stayed solid. "You could've used diplomacy. Or is it the nature of all bad scientists to dissection everything?"

"Well, it's in YOUR nature, Constellation", spoke a new voice from thin air, and there was another "whack" on the same Devor's head. The counter-deed wasn't delayed: the guard's hand flew through the air as fast as it could for a limb of such a clumsy beast, and there was a small gasp.

"She's here!"

And then chaos began. The guard - that very one who had wounded the androgen - tore the gloves off and rushed back, using his sense of smell as his main "sight", for there obviously was one more person here. If Devors smelled blood, it meant insanity. And there was only one truly precious type of things to protect from their attacks... while the invisible teaser made the guards smash into them. Once, twice, three times! The golden sparkles (with an increasing portion of green ones) were now enveloping the broken container, and in the end there was a kick of wind from nowhere together with a sound never heard here, which finished in materialization of that very odd blue box (the boss had ordered to burn it!).

"Here! Now!"

The voice which sounded from the inside of the box was suspiciously similar to that of the newest helper. The first failure in years! Not only that: when the strange kid - "the Doctor" - rushed in, the Devors followed him, but the door slammed shut right in front of them, and the blue box was gone.


	10. A Million Memories

"Paul!"

That was the first word which broke the stunned silence in the TARDIS when Paul switched the watch of invisibility off.

"Forget about me, Fivey", she droned, her palm on her chest again, as if it was going to help to tame her heart. "What's with him?"

"Orange juice, Decarde-Lombardi spiral, sticks for football... Bzzzzzt!"

The Doctor - Skasis must have deactivated all the perception filters - stood straight (before he had been supported by Jenny and Hamish), visibly not minding that he was wearing nothing apart from Kaster's coat used wrongly. Better than nothing at all anyway... The remaining part of the umbilical cord, now dried and useless, like that kind that newborn kittens sometimes have, fell off in a few seconds.

"Who taught you to use unchecked items, Steamer?" he asked.

"Who taught you not to tell about them?" Paul retorted.

Johnny-Jimmy - still in his adult form - interfered before someone else from those who were mostly sitting, leaning on the walls (Erfin, perhaps), would add more:

"Doctor-daddy, can you help me?"

"Cunning devils", the Doctor summed up, having examined the wrist of his charge. "This chip is joined with veins, so it can result in a serious blood loss if you try to delete it by yourself... Never mind it, we'll fix you as soon as possible. And whom do we have here? Oooh, Hamish! I remember you. How's it going?"

Hamish showed him two thumbs up.

"Young River and Jamie! No exclusions from the rules!" The Doctor gazed at them lovingly (Rhodie had a suspicion that he was envious about River's ginger hair color). "And who might you two be?" This was addressed to Erfin and Lionel, who were observing the inner world of TARDIS and didn't react immediately.

"I'm Erfin", the girl finally replied, having calmed down. "I-I-I've never been here, but I know this place... How can this be?"

"Perhaps it's genetic memory, Erfin", Skasis explained. "Just like with me. I've got memories of Rhodes, Kas and Alice".

"Genetic memory? Whose genetic memory?.." The Doctor stared at Erfin, who pouted her lips. "Oh god. Erfin... Ere - fin... Until the end..."

"Guessed right, Doctor", Alice approved. "Erfin and Lionel Temple".

While the discussion was going on, Paul was attempting to deactivate the chip in Johnny-Jimmy's wrist with the sonic cane. The trouble was in frequency: she couldn't find the needed combination of settings.

"Oh no-no-no-no-no!" The Doctor darted to them as soon as he saw that. "This is not done this way. Allow me".

"Is that a boy or a girl anyway?" Lionel whispered to Rhodie.

"The second version. Her name's Paul".

"McCartney, blast it". Erfin rolled her eyes.

"Another proof", the Doctor muttered - he almost figured out the needed combination. "Sharp tongue and sneaky eyes... I knew this complex would hold lots of incredible things, but I didn't foresee the coming of two little Beatles".

Alice and Kaster snorted with laughter. Jamie and Lionel with their dark hair of middle length (almost reaching their chins and with thick fringes), round faces and chocolate brown eyes really held resemblance to the members of the world-famous band without realizing it. But Jenny didn't get the core of joke:

"I don't think they look like bugs".

"And who might... oh..."

Most of the kids turned away - some to hide their wrinkling faces (like Lionel and Hamish), some not to see the possible confusion (Rhodie and Five). Luckily the heartful embrace of the reunited didn't result in anything wrong.


	11. Seven and a Half Humans

"You little Master-in-training, how did it even OCCUR to you to call yourself me?!"

Kaster had told it all while the Doctor, now fully dressed and tidied up, was setting the needed coordinates for everybody. But only this made him turn around and stare at the kid.

"Was blabbersome", Kaster shrugged. "Didn't see another way. I thought that... well..."

"Make it clear", Jenny interfered. "Definitely, Dad could've changed into a kid, but it's about attitude and mind things". She tapped on her temple. "I knew that Dad remained himself though there were changes".

"Oh, Jenny!" Kaster groaned. "When we first met, you said that I was like a proper little mini Doctor. Why not? Thought they would let me go and I'd find another way to get out for everybody".

"It wasn't you who found it, it were US", Erfin inserted. "Agree that you wouldn't have done it all alone".

"I do agree... and I agree that four-and-a-half Timelords and seven-and-a-half humans coped better than any other amount of them".

The Doctor laughed.

"If it goes this way, soon we'll have enough little Timelords to repopulate Gallifrey! And this time there will be no talking about artificial mixes!.. sorry, Trouty".

"No matter. Better than any of those zombified anyway", Trouty responded. "Did they do anything else to you?"

"Not really. Guess those were the scientists which want to know the core without development factors. And YOU know how important they are". The next thing the Doctor did was walking up to Lionel and ruffling his hair. "Hmm... Guess my interfering genes didn't work here".

"Huh?" Lionel raised one brow, and the Doctor snorted with laughter.

"I mean you didn't get those big ears. You know why the Beatles wore such hairstyles? Because one of them had lopped ears and wanted to hide it... Fine then".

"If we're talking about this, will you tell us about... us and our mother and Timelords?" Erfin put in. "I don't want to think that our mum is a spacewoman or else".

"She is not". There's a little Donna, the Doctor thought. Extraordinary things will be prosecuted. "But you two promise that you will never ever tell her what I will tell you. It is really important. If she hears a word of that she will burn out. I mean it".

"And great-grampa? Can we talk about this with him?" This time Erfin's voice reduced to whisper.

"Wilf? Is he all right?"

"Alive and well", Lionel replied. "So, can we?"

"Must be time influence..." the Doctor muttered. "Yes, you can. But again, be careful".

"I wanna listen too". Jenny took place next to them. "I really don't know much about you, Daddy".

"Can I ask a question?" Paul put in. "We just escape from there? Aren't we going... don't know... free those aliens or something?"

"I knew you would ask it, Steamer. You see, I was aware of my situation and did what I could in that capsule. I hope none of you will even know this condition when you understand and hear everything, but cannot give a signal... So, I heard that you found out about the connection of all the containers. Therefore I sent the message to all of them. Half-telepathically, partly through that cord... ewww... Anyway, we broke their master plan including you, whatever it was. And this is something".

"So that means their system is going to get sabotaged from the inside?" Rhodie pointed out.

"That's it. Now on to you, Jenny. What do you want to know?"

Alice, who sensed that she had heard this story many times (as well as the rest), decided to leave them alone. When she was out of console room, she giggled and grabbed the hands of Jamie and Hamish, who just happened to be the closest to her:

"Wanna dance?"

"The Mini-Doctor Dances!" Kaster exclaimed, and the gang hurried to the dance hall - they needed to have some fun before parting ways.

* * *

**A/N: And guess what's going to take place next...  
**


	12. Fifteen Dancers

The Doctor, Jenny, Erfin and Lionel glanced into the room full of rainbow lights just in time to hear Skasis announcing:

"On the orange platform, with three losses and four wins... ladies and gentlemen, River Storm! And on the violet platform, with two losses and one win..."

"Do you have to repeat that all the time?" the familiar voice interfered.

"...the lady-gentleman Paul Steamer!" Skasis finished, and the beginning accords of Katy Perry's Firework filled the room. The kids surrounding the platforms rooted, and the two competitors began their "dance-run". It was like a music video game, but advanced: not only pressing the buttons with arrows, but repeating and making the shown moves better as well.

Upon the noise (though the "battle" promised to be interesting from the very beginning) Johnny-Jimmy, whose transformation back into a child was almost over, hurriedly sneaked behind the now opened door. No doubt, just to change clothing, because the lab coat and far too huge pants and shirt were hanging on him now. And here there was a sight to see. And to take part.

The song was over, and the girls bounced off the platforms, both shining from the inside.

"Next time I'll trock you over", River promised and burst out laughing.

"You wish! Nothing is too steamy for me!" Paul parried, blowing her chin-length reddish brown curls off her now sweaty forehead. "Deuce!"

Skasis, who was occupying the DJ place, clicked something on the panel and announced:

"Now let's introduce the new fighters of our Dance Revolution! The One-Quarter-Timelord... The Dazzler from the Noble Temple!"

"Come on, Lionel, he's about you", the Doctor whispered.

"Don't be shy, it's awesome!" Alice added, bouncing in impatience. "You were named after the king of beasts, after all!"

"Said a girl named after a fairytale heroine", Lionel shot out and jumped onto the platform which turned yellow. Skasis, knowing that there could be another way of proving things, hurried to go on:

"And, with the result of one win and one loss... The Venusian Aikido Fighter, Alice Tyler!"

This time the chosen song was Children of the Revolution. A really fitting one... Johnny-Jimmy returned right on time not to miss the peak of the "battle". When it was over, the kids, most of which were panting, but beaming as widely as they could, sat down onto the floor to catch their breath.

"Yeah, wish those scientists could see you now", the Doctor noticed. "You're all mixed up from human and Timelord particles, but look at you! Even here. The tune is the same, as well as the offered moves, but you all add something from yourselves. Alice adds particles of martial arts, River flows... sorry for bad pun... and Lionel adds visual effects".

Lionel shrugged - he couldn't help adding fountains of golden sparkling mist while "overdancing" Alice.

"Do you mind?" The Doctor made up his most charming face. "No? Then... Skasis, can you..."

"No trouble! I've got a special song for you!" Skasis called out and changed the platform colors to blue and green. The Doctor immediately got onto the blue one:

"Jenny! Drunken giraffe style versus gymnastics and acrobatics! Who wins?"

"Are you challenging me?" Jenny didn't make him wait.

"Drunken giraffe?" Hamish whispered to Rhodie. "What is it?"

"You'll see", Rhodie chuckled - she was already prepared for the next portion of fun, as well as the rest.

But here they were all caught unaware. The "special song" began with the words:

"Hello boys and girls, I am the Doctor,  
But not the kind that gives you medicine,  
I've traveled throughout time and space  
Just to please the human race,  
So let's not dilly-dally, let's begin!"

The Doctor almost stopped when he heard it, but caught up right in time not to lose at the start.

"What horror! Shame and nothing else!" Erfin squeaked, though even she was going to surrender - the atmosphere of cheer infected her from black-hared head to toes.

"You'll be next, Erf!" Skasis exclaimed, rocking from side to side in the rhythm of the song.

* * *

**A/N: The end... or should it be the beginning?**

**P.S. The "special song" is It's Bigger on the Inside by Voltaire. Just search for it and listen. You won't regret it!  
**


End file.
